Many people want to grow their own food in their own backyard, but they don't know how to start and don't have the space. However, a vegetable garden doesn't need to be huge - small ones can be a great way to grow a few select vegetables, get a little food, and still get the gardening experience. Keep in mind that it may still eventually grow into a larger one! This article will also teach you how to grow certain crops!

Steps

Part 1

Starting Out

1

Find out what plants to get. Get plants that can grow in your area, and make sure you plant them at the right time of the year. If you plant them too early or too late, they could freeze and die before you can harvest your vegetables. Usually about Mid-April to Mid-May will be a good time to plant your vegetables.

While they're technically fruits, a good starter plant to grow is tomatoes. You can plant these in a pot or in your garden.

2

Plan out your garden. Make sure there is enough space to grow your plants. Use a tiller and till the whole space you will be gardening. Then pull out any weeds and move any large rocks. Things like pumpkins and squash take up lots of space. Make sure they don't strangle other plants. Find out how big your plants get and space them accordingly. Make sure the ground is warm enough and has good drainage to bear your plants. If your plant needs slightly acidic soil, get an acid meter and make sure the soil has enough acidity. Some plants that need acidity are tomatoes and blueberries. You can buy fertilizer that can add acidity to the soil.

3

Buy your plants. You can either get seeds or get plant starts (where the seeds are already planted). Go to your local nursery and see what they have. Get fertilizer as well. Make sure to get the right fertilizer for your plants. This will make your plants grow better and faster!

4

Plant your plants in the garden.

For plant starts, use a hand shovel and dig a small hole big enough to put your plant in. Water your plant before you put it in so you can moisten the root ball and less the shock on the plant when you plant it. Sprinkle in a little bit of fertilizer and put your plant in. Then surround the plant with dirt and make a small circle around it for water.

For seeds, stick your finger into the dirt where you want to plant the seed until the dirt reaches the second joint on your finger. Then sprinkle a little fertilizer in, place the seed inside, and bury it.

5

Water your garden well until you can stick your whole finger in where the soil will be wet all the way to the tip of your finger. But don't over-water. This could drown your plant or its roots. Water until the soil is moist.

6

Watch out for birds and deer. Try to buy a net that you can wrap around your garden, as wildlife (or even your own animals) can destroy your crops. Even if they take just a little bite out of your plant, it could pass a disease and kill it. So protect your crops!

7

Watch your garden grow! If you planted seeds it will take a few weeks to germinate then sprout. Make sure its getting plenty of water and sun in this germinating process. Remember to water in the mornings. If a hot day happens, you may have to water two or three times that day. Then when the vegetables are ready, pick, wash, and eat them!

Sprinkle the garden with fertilizer every 3-4 weeks.

Part 2

Developing Your Garden

1

Expand your garden! Add a few feet onto your garden in its second year. You can even create another garden in your backyard!

2

Get more crops. Sadly, most garden crops don't come back each year like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries do. But don't worry. You can either go to the store and buy more plants, or you could get seeds out of your crops and prepare them to plant!

Part 3

Growing Strawberries

1

Get a strawberry plant from the store or buy seeds. Go to your local store and buy some strawberry plants. You will see it has some leaves, some roots, a crown (where the whole plant grows from), and maybe some fruit.

2

Plant your strawberry seeds/plant. Find a pot. Dig a hole big enough to hold all of your roots. Then fill it in after you have put your strawberry plant in. Be careful not to bury the crown as it can rot. For the seeds, stick your finger into the dirt until your whole fingernail is covered. Place your small strawberry seed in and cover it lightly with dirt.

3

Water your plant/seeds. Make sure to water well but not too much or the roots and plant will drown.

4

Taking care of your strawberry plant. You will see flowers starting to come out. After the flower comes a little green strawberry. You will see this starting to swell. As it swells, the stem its on will be weighted and will start to droop. Try to tie it upright so the fruit doesn't touch the ground. This will make it rot. You will see your fruit turn white. This means its done swelling and it is full size. Finally it will start ripening in the sun and turn red. Once it hits a nice blood red it is ripe.

5

Taking care of runners. What are those little vines sticking out of the strawberry plant? Those are called runners. You can put them in a pot. Once they take root you can cut the vine and bam! You have a new strawberry plant. Keep it out of direct sunlight for a few weeks as its leaves will wither. After a few months you will start to see it flower and fruit!

Part 4

Growing Pumpkins

1

Buy your pumpkin seeds. Go to a store and buy some pumpkin seeds. Pumpkins don't really come already planted. At least I've never seen them already planted but if you can find some, good for you!

2

Plant your pumpkins. You want to plant them in Mid-Spring. If you found some pumpkin plants, dig a hole big enough to hold your pumpkin's roots, throw in some fertilizer, then put your plant in and fill the hole with dirt.

3

Watch them grow! If you planted seeds, you will have to wait a few weeks for them to sprout. They may not all sprout. After they sprout they will grow very large leaves, about as big as you head. Then you will see little vines starting to grow with little flower buds on the end. The flowers will then sprout and will get pollinated. After the flower is pollinated, you will see it wither off and die. Finally a little green pumpkin starting to swell where the flower was.

4

Take care of the fruit. Once your pumpkin is heavy enough it will start to droop and touch the ground. Take a garbage bag and lay it out flat. Place the pumpkin on top of the bag so it wont rot when it touches the ground. When it rains, cover the pumpkin with plastic. If you don't it will get diseases. When the pumpkin reaches full size, it will start to ripen and turn orange. Once it is a nice orange and shiny, it is ripe!

Part 5

Growing Corn

1

Get your corn plants. You can get seeds or get plant starts. Make sure the plant starts you get don't have any brown patches as this can indicate disease.

2

Plant your corn. In your garden find an area to plant your corn. Make a hole big enough to hold the corns roots, sprinkle in a little fertilizer, then place your corn inside. Fill in the hole. For seeds, make a little hole with your finger, place the corn seed inside, then cover it with dirt.

3

Tend to your corn. The corn will start out like little blades of grass. If you see this starting to turn yellow, that means you are over-watering. The corn will keep growing. It needs to be "Knee high by fourth of July". You will see little corns starting to grow off of the plant. Once little silk tassels come out, give each corn plant a little shake to spread the pollen that's on the top of the plant. All it takes is one little tiny piece of pollen on one tassel to produce corn. After its done, you can pick them and store them for later eating. Maybe dinner that night.